Japan is a wonderful country, with a combination of modern culture and ancient history that is unlike any other places in the world. Getting to Japan using miles or points is relatively easy. With cherry blossom season just two months away, you still have time to plan a family trip during spring break. In this post I will show you the best routes you can take and the cheapest miles to Japan that you can use.
Cheapest miles to Japan from mainland U.S.
You can use a variety of miles and points programs to get to Japan from mainland U.S. The cheapest miles to Japan, as shown in the table below, are:
- British Airways – San Francisco to Tokyo Haneda airport for 25,000 avios one-way in JAL economy;
- ANA – Anywhere in US to Japan for 50,000 miles roundtrip in economy and 80,000 miles in business class;
- Alaska MileagePlan – 32,500 miles one-way in economy on American Airlines (or 25,000 miles during low season); 40,000 miles in premium economy on JAL anytime; 35,000 miles in premium economy or 50,000 miles in business class on Cathay Pacific with a stopover in Hong Kong;
- Singapore Krisflyer – 27,625 miles one-way in economy on Singapore Airlines between Los Angeles to Tokyo Narita airport (must book online).
| Mileage Programs | Redeem miles to travel on | Transfer partner with | Miles required for Economy, one-way | Miles required for Premium Economy, one-way | Miles required for Business Class, one-way | Miles required for First Class, one-way |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Canada Aeroplan | ANA, Air Canada, Asian, United, Singapore | Amex, Chase, SPG | 37,500 | 62,500 | 62,500 | 105,000 |
| Alaska MileagePlan | American Airlines | SPG | 32,500 (25,000 low season) | not available | 50,000 | 62,500 |
| Cathay Pacific | SPG | 30,000 | 35,000 | 50,000 | 70,000 | |
| Japan Airlines | SPG | 35,000 | 40,000 | 60,000 | 70,000 | |
| American AAdvantage | American, JAL, Cathay Pacific | SPG | 35,000 (32,500 off-peak) | not available | 60,000 | 80,000 |
| ANA | ANA, Air Canada, Asiana, United, Singapore | SPG, Amex | 50,000 - 55,000 roundtrip | not available | 80,000 -85,000 roundtirp | 150,000 - 165,000 roundtrip |
| British Airways Executive Club | American, JAL | Amex, Chase, SPG | Distance-based, 25,000 SFO to Tokyo Haneda on JAL | Distance-based | Distance-based | Distance-Based |
| Delta Skymiles | Delta, Korean Air | Amex, SPG | 35,000 | 45,000 | 80,000 | not available |
| Singapore Krisflyer | ANA, Air Canada, United | Amex, Chase, Citi, SPG | 45,000 | not available | too many miles | too many miles |
| Singapore | LAX - NRT only | 27,625 booked online | 53,550 booked online | 65,875 booked online | 74,375 booked online | |
| United MileagePlus | United, ANA, Air Canada, Asiana, Singapore | Chase, SPG | 35,000 | not available | 65,000 United metal 75,000 partner | 80,000 United metal 110,000 partner |
| AirFrance Flying Blue | Delta, Korean Air | Amex, Citi, SPG | 40,000 | 50,000 | too many miles | not available |
| Korean Air | Delta, Korean Air | Chase, SPG | 35,000 | not available | 62,500 | 80,000 |
[SEE ALSO: Using Avios to your advantage for a family trip ]
Best routes to Japan – nonstop services from mainland U.S.
The best routes to Japan are obviously the nonstop services from mainland U.S. to five major cities in Japan. These routes are served by three major U.S. airlines (United, American, Delta) as wells as two Japanese airlines (Japan Airline and All Nippon Airways). Additionally, Singapore Airlines serve nonstop between Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita airport. There are also nonstop services to Japan from Honolulu and Guam, serving by ANA, JAL, United, Delta, and Hawaiian Airlines,
| Airports in Japan | Airlines | Departure Cities in mainland U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo, Haneda (HND) | ANA | Chicago, Los Angeles, New York JFK |
| American Airlines | Los Angeles | |
| Delta Airlines | Los Angeles, Minneapolis | |
| Japan Airlines | New York JFK, San Francisco | |
| United Airlines | San Francisco | |
| Tokyo, Narita (NRT) | ANA | Chicago, New York JFK,San Francisco, San Jose CA, Washington Dulles |
| American Airlines | Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles | |
| Delta Airlines | Atlanta, Detroit, Portland, Seattle | |
| Japan Airlines | Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Honolulu, New York JFK, San Diego | |
| Singapore Airlines | Los Angeles | |
| United Airlines | Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, Washington Dulles | |
| Osaka, Kasai (KIX) | Japan Airlines | Los Angeles |
| United Airlines | San Francisco | |
| Nagoya (NGO) | Delta Airlines | Detroit |
Once you are in Japan, you can get to anywhere in Japan using as little as 4,500 British Airways avios, or you can travel by train or shinkansen, the high-speed bullet trains that Japan is known for.
Where to search for award seats to Japan
To find award seats to Japan, you can search on
- United website for flights on United and ANA;
- Delta website for flights on Delta and Korean Air;
- American website for its own flight;
- Alaska website for flights on American and JAL;
- British Airways website for flights on American, JAL and Cathay Pacific;
- Korean Air website for flights on Korean and Delta;
- Singapore website for its own flights between Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita.
In general, award availabilities to Japan are pretty good. Compared to American, both United and Delta release decent amount of economy award seats on their flights, as many as 8 seats on United and 9 seats on Delta.
[SEE ALSO: Up to 9 Delta awards to Asia Pacific this summer! ]
[SEE ALSO: JAL First class review ORD to NRT ]
ANA and Japan Airlines often releases 4 seats in economy when schedule opens. Cathay Pacific releases 5 seats each in economy and business class when schedule opens. If you want to fly in premium cabin, your best bet might be Japan Airlines. JAL releases in advance 4 seats in premium economy and 4 seats in business class, and 2 seats in first class, with more added closer to departure date.
As you can see, it is easy to fly to Japan using miles. So take the whole family to Japan, especially during cherry blossom season. You and your family are guaranteed to have an unforgettable trip!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
ANA also flies LAXHND, which is how I’m getting there when I go in April. Also, the westbound is a redeye, unlike many of the other options, which is why I chose it.
Somehow I missed that when I copied my list into the table. Updated now and thank you for pointing it out.
You forgot Boston on JAL to NRT.
Oh yes! I will add that into the table. Thanks for pointing it out!
Man! I could’ve used this post like a week ago! I ended up getting good deals for myself coming from Chicago but had a hard time finding business tickets for my brother coming from Virginia. This would’ve been great.
Oh well, next time! Japan is one of those countries that you must go back more than once! If you happen to book with AA or Alaska miles, you can always upgrade!!
FYI – I think you left out Amex MR as a rewards Transfer partner to ANA =)
Thanks! I added it in.